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The Migration |
Each year approximately 1.5 million wildebeest and
300,000 zebra and other antelope congregate and
start their long trek from Tanzania's Serengeti
Plains, further north to Kenya's Masai Mara National
Reserve. Their journey forms clockwise circle and
the animals cover a distance of around 1800 miles in
search of food and water. The journey is dangerous
and every year an estimated 250,000 wildebeest pay
with there life’s.
A not to be missed spectacle of the migration is
when the herds gather to cross the Grumeti River
(Tanzania) and the Mara River (Kenya) from July
through September. As the herds cross, crocodiles
lay in wait for any weak and frail ungulates that
can't cope with the strong currents or get separated
from their mothers.
Witnessing hundreds of animals
on the plains is a spectacle in itself, because they
attract many of Africa's impressive predators.
Lions, leopards, hyenas and wild dogs follow the
herds affording safari goers excellent opportunities
of seeing a kill in action. |
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Masai Mara National Reserve |
The Masai Mara National Reserve is Kenya's premier
wildlife park. The reserve is positioned in the Rift
Valley with Tanzania's Serengeti Plains running
along its southern end. The Mara River runs through
the reserve hosting plenty of hippos and crocodiles
and making the yearly migration of over a million
wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebras is a
particularly dangerous undertaking.
The Masai Mara reserve is Kenya's most popular game
park because it's relatively small yet it hosts an
amazing concentration of wildlife. Visitors are
almost guaranteed to see the Big 5. Lions thrive
throughout the park as do leopards, cheetah, hyenas,
giraffe, impala, wildebeest, topi, baboons,
warthogs, buffalo, zebra, elephants, and of course
hippos and crocodiles in the Mara River.
The ideal
time to visit is between July and October when the
wildebeest and zebra are at their highest number and
offer plenty of food for lions, cheetahs, and
leopards. The best time to view animals is either at
first light or sunset. |
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Mount Kenya |
The mountain is positioned 180 kilometers north of
Nairobi and it can often visible from tall buildings
in Nairobi and from neigbouring Thika. It is an
extinct volcano, which vented its fury couple of
million years ago.
This distinctive mountain is
situated in the Mount Kenya National Park, which is
an elected protected area around the mountain above
3200m altitude. Managed by the Kenyan Wildlife
Service, the national park covers an area of about
700 square kilometers natural wilderness.
Situated at the base and around the mountain are
numerous hotels such as the Mount Kenya Safari Club,
Outspans, Naro Moru River Lodge, Treetops, Mountain
Lodge, Bantu Lodge and several other fine
establishments. These establishments provide a
superb vantage point to view the impressive mountain
from luxury accommodation while breathing in fresh
air and unwinding in the tranquil atmosphere. |
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Gedi Ruins |
If you choose to head to the coast of Kenya to enjoy
the beaches, then you will also want to consider a
trip to the Gedi Ruins, which are found close to
both Malindi and Watamu. Gedi (Gede) Kenya was once
a Swahili settlement that was founded in the 12th
century. The ruins here consist of houses, a palace,
and a mosque. There is also a café here and a nice
museum. The Gedi Ruins are certainly one of the top
historical Kenya attractions. The Gedi Ruins are all
that remains of Gede Kenya, which was a Swahili town
that thrived hundreds of years ago.
The Gedi Ruins were declared a national park in
1948, and they are one the most visited tourist
attractions in Kenya. Gedi (Gede) Kenya was once a
thriving Swahili settlement that was founded in the
12th century. Visitors enjoying Kenyan beach
vacations near Mombasa and Malindi often visit the
infamous ruins.
Gede Kenya in its thriving day once had mosques,
palaces, and homes, structures quite sophisticated
during their day. The inhabitants which were of
Muslim descent, had established a trading system as
excavations have shown, but no written records have
been found. Visitors have to depend on the
information at hand and their imagination to give
insight into the life at Gede Kenya. |
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Lake Nakuru |
Located near the Great Rift Valley city of Nakuru,
Lake Nakuru is definitely the site for one of the
best bird watching experiences on the continent.
Thousands and often millions of pink flamingos
converge at Lake Nakuru to feed on the algae-rich
alkaline lake, giving it the appearance of being
painted pink.
To add to an already exceptional
experience, the Lake Nakuru National Park is also
host to numerous other fascinating animal species.
These include black rhinos, lions, leopards,
waterbucks, and abundant of species of birds are
just some of the wildlife you’ll see at Lake Nakuru
National Park. |
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National Museum |
The National Museum located in Nairobi, is resident
to a variety of cultural and natural history
exhibits. The displays include prehistoric artifacts
discovered by the Leakey's, over 900 stuffed birds
and animals, fossils from Lake Turkana, ethnic
displays from various Kenyan tribal groups as well
as local artistic exhibits.
Part of the major attractions at the National Museum
is the People of Kenya tribal portraits by Joy
Adamson and her watercolors depicting Kenyan flowers
and plants. The Hominid Vault plays host to the
'early man' section and a collection of bones and
fossils dating back to the pre-historic era. A well
preserved fossil of an elephant and a almost intact
skeleton of a 12 year old homo erectus boy can also
be viewed. Skulls of Homo Sapiens and Homo Habilis
as well as a replica of the famous 'Oldpai'
hominid's footprints are of particular note.
An ornithological collection of birdlife in Kenya is
represented through an extensive display at the
National Museum as well as dioramas of Kenyan
mammals in the mammal room. The Geology Gallery has
a wealth of information on tectonic plates and the
life cycle of a volcano, in addition to a good
collection of rocks and minerals. |
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Fort Jesus |
Fort Jesus is Mombasa’s most visited tourist
attraction. The fort, positioned along the coastline
near the Old Town, is a epic piece of construction
that was built in the 16th century by the
Portuguese. The fort is home to a museum that
displays various artifacts from the era where
Mombasa served as a transit point for the slave
trade and commodities, and which enjoyed regular
visits by seafarers and the like.
It houses torture
rooms and prison cells where slaves were kept in
confinement before being traded. Military hardware
such as canons, which were used to defend the fort
from invading foreigners and rioting locals, can be
seen both inside and outside of the fort. The fort
opens its gates for viewing in the morning and
closes at sunset. |
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